Showmax is bringing an exciting lineup of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films this award season, featuring Oscar-nominated performances, Emmy-winning productions, and box-office smashes. Here are five must-watch titles you won’t want to miss.

1. Night Swim | Streaming from 6 February

From horror masterminds James Wan (The Conjuring) and Jason Blum (Get Out), Night Swim is a supernatural thriller that debuted at #1 at the US box office.

Ray Waller, a former baseball player forced into early retirement by illness, moves his family into a new home with a backyard pool—unaware of the sinister force lurking beneath the water’s surface.

Starring Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Oscar nominee Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Night Swim is packed with suspense. The Los Angeles Times calls it “deliciously sadistic.”

Watch the trailer

2. Despicable Me 4 | Streaming from 20 February

One of 2024’s biggest box-office hits, Despicable Me 4 sees Gru, Lucy, and their daughters welcome a new family member—Gru Jr.—while facing off against their latest nemesis, Maxime Le Mal.

With an all-star voice cast, including Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, and Sofia Vergara, this animated comedy is perfect for the whole family. The screenplay is co-written by The White Lotus creator Mike White.

Watch the trailer

3. Alex Edelman: Just For Us | Streaming from 19 February

Winner of the 2024 Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special, this HBO comedy special is based on Edelman’s Tony-nominated Broadway show.

Edelman hilariously recounts his experience infiltrating a white nationalist meeting, blending sharp wit with social commentary. The Washington Post calls it “perfection.”

Watch the trailer

4. She Came to Me | Streaming from 17 February

This romantic comedy stars Peter Dinklage, Anne Hathaway, and Marisa Tomei in a story about a composer, a psychiatrist, and a tugboat captain whose lives unexpectedly collide.

Written and directed by Sundance winner Rebecca Miller, the film also features Bruce Springsteen’s Addicted to Romance, nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

Watch the trailer

5. Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple | Streaming from 26 February

This HBO documentary, a Grammy nominee for Best Music Film, chronicles the life of rock legend Stevie Van Zandt—from performing with Bruce Springsteen to starring in The Sopranos.

With interviews from Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and Bono, the film has a 90% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Guardian calls it “a sprawling biography of one of rock’s most likable veterans.”

Watch the trailer

Bonus: Award winning and Blockbuster Hits

The Color Purple

More than a film, The Color Purple is a powerful, music-filled experience. This latest adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel follows Celie, a Black woman overcoming hardship through sisterhood.

Directed by Blitz Bazawule (Black Is King), the film embraces its Broadway roots, blending stunning visuals with soul-stirring music. Fantasia Barrino shines in her film debut as Celie, earning BAFTA and Golden Globe nods. Danielle Brooks (OITNB) delivers an Oscar-nominated performance as Sofia, alongside Taraji P. Henson (Empire) as Shug Avery.

With an 81% Rotten Tomatoes rating and nine Black Reel Awards, including Outstanding Ensemble, The Color Purple is a must-watch. Streaming on Showmax this February.

Joker

Joker, directed by Todd Phillips, is a gripping psychological thriller that gives a new twist to the superhero genre. The film takes place in a troubled, crime-filled Gotham City and follows Arthur Fleck, a struggling comedian who slowly loses his grip on reality and transforms into the notorious Joker.

Joaquin Phoenix delivers an unforgettable performance as Arthur Fleck, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. The movie also received 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. With its eerie score and stunning visuals, Joker is a must-watch for those who love deep character stories and psychological drama.

With everything from new blockbusters to all-time classics, Showmax is packed with must-watch entertainment this February. What are you streaming first? Head to www.showmax.com/ng  or download the Showmax app to sign up and start streaming.

This February, Showmax is serving a lineup of brand-new series, blockbuster movies, Emmy-winning stand-up, Grammy-nominated docs and cult-favourite classics to stream. See here for a full list of what to watch this February.

DIDDY: THE MAKING OF A BAD BOY | First On Showmax | Stream from Friday, 7 February 2025

Best for true-crime and hip hop fans

Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy is a raw, exclusive look at Sean Combs long before he was known as Puff or Diddy.

Featuring never-before-seen footage and stories from those who know him best, Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy sheds light on his childhood, rise to fame, and recent criminal allegations, challenging viewers to rethink everything they thought they knew about the mogul behind the music – and the mugshot.

Combs’ trial is scheduled for May 2025.

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv0A5zqv0SE

THE WHITE LOTUS S1-3 | Mondays from 17 February

Winner of 15 Emmys, The White Lotus returns for a third instalment following a new group of guests at another White Lotus hotel, this time in Thailand.

Once again written and directed by Mike White, the new season returns Natasha Rothwell to her Emmy-nominated Season 1 role as Belinda alongside a star-studded new cast. This includes Emmy nominees Carrie Coon, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, and Walton Goggins, BAFTA winner Aimee Lou Wood, Teen Choice nominees Leslie Bibb and Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Critics Choice nominee Michelle Monaghan.

While you wait, rewatch the first two seasons on Showmax.

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwQRkOK5KC4

SUITS: LA S1 | Mondays from 24 February

Teen Choice winner Stephen Amell (Arrow) stars in Suits: LA as Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York who has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His firm is at a crisis point, and in order to survive, he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career.

Gabriel Macht returns to the franchise to guest star as Harvey Specter, while the new cast includes Josh McDermitt (Eugene in The Walking Dead).

While you wait, binge all nine seasons of the original Suits on Showmax.

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0KMvx4y2-o

YELLOWJACKETS S1-3 | First on Showmax | Saturdays from 15 February

The third season of the Emmy-nominated series continues to explore the harrowing survival story of the high school women’s soccer team that crashed in the wilderness in 1996.

Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) and Critics’ Choice nominee Joel McHale (Community) join the cast this season, which also sees Melanie Lynskey and Christina Ricci return to their Emmy-nominated roles.

Yellowjackets S1 was the second-most streamed series in Showtime’s history.

While you wait, binge the first two seasons on Showmax.

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuHe_y-UQJk

THE DAY OF THE JACKAL S1 | Mondays at 8:30pm

Nominated as Best Drama Series at both the 2025 Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, The Day of the Jackal follows a ruthless, mysterious assassin known as the Jackal, who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. He meets his match when a tenacious British intelligence officer starts to track him down in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe.

Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, Fantastic Beasts franchise) has earned Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild nominations for his shape-shifting performance as The Jackal.

BAFTA winner Lashana Lynch (The Woman King, No Time to Die) plays Bianca, the British intelligence office hot on his heels.

Written and adapted by Ronan Bennet (Top Boy), The Day of The Jackal is the biggest Sky Original ever and has an 84% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety calls it “exhilarating… a breathless adventure until the very end.”

The Day of the Jackal is a modern-day reimagination of Frederick Forsyth’s classic novel, which earned the 1972 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America.

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUb_04MdnMI

COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS S1-2 | Binge from Tuesday, 18 February

Rotten Tomatoes’ second-best romance series of last year, and third-best returning series overall, Season 2 of Australian comedy series Colin from Accounts picks up with Ashley and Gordon needing to work out whether they want a relationship … or if they just wanted a dog.

With Season 2, real-life couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall (who created, wrote and star in the show) have cracked a rare 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes for a second time, with the critics’ consensus saying it’s “as cranky, funny, and delightful as ever.”

The hit series has already won three Logie Awards – Most Outstanding Comedy, and both Most Outstanding Actress and Actor for its leads – as well as the 2024 Australian Writers’ Guild Comedy Award.

While you wait, binge Season 1 on Showmax.

Watch the trailer:

https://youtu.be/Gu6zn-DQfwA

NIGHT SWIM | Stream from Thursday, 6 February

Best for horror fans who aren’t planning to swim this summer

Night Swim follows Ray Waller, a former major league baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness. Ray moves into a new home with his concerned wife, Eve, and two children, unaware that a dark secret from the house’s past will unleash an evil force in the backyard pool.

Teen Choice nominee Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Oscar nominee Kerry Condon (Better Call Saul and The Banshees of Inisherin) co-star as Ray and Eve.

The #1 US box office hit is produced by horror legends James Wan (Saw) and Jason Blum (Get Out). As Los Angeles Times says, “[Bryce] McGuire, who executed a trial run of this concept with a 2014 short film, knows exactly what he’s doing, scene after scene, especially when it comes to the deliciously sadistic grammar of suspense.”

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhlLO3Nb3sY

THE FRANCHISE | First on Showmax | Binge from Monday, 10 February

Ever wondered what really happens behind Hollywood’s blockbuster machine? HBO’s satirical comedy The Franchise follows a film crew on an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. Is this Hollywood’s new dawn or cinema’s last stand?

Emmy nominee Himesh Patel (Station Eleven, Yesterday) and Critics Choice Super winner Aya Cash (The Boys) lead the cast, which includes 2024 International Emmy nominee Jessica Hynes, Screen Actors Guild nominee Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts franchise) and Eswatini-born Oscar nominee Richard E Grant.

Watch the trailer:

https://youtu.be/SCeEQUqiGOE

Bonus: Couch Classics & Blockbuster Hits

Bonus: Couch Classics & Blockbuster Hits
The Nun & Friday the 13th – Streaming from 10 February
Joker, Suicide Squad, Superman Returns, & Wonder Woman – Streaming from 13 February
Frasier S1-11 & Dawson’s Creek S1-6 – Binge from 28 February
The Bodyguard (1992) – Streaming this February

From iconic teen drama (Dawson’s Creek) to award-winning comedy (Frasier), plus Whitney Houston’s legendary performance in The Bodyguard, these classics are ready for a rewatch!

Get Showmax Entertainment Mobile for just N1,600 and start streaming! Sign up now.

By Oludayo Salami

Kunle Ogunrombi, popularly known as K-Peace, has once again raised concerns about unpaid prize money from his 2015 victory on “Etisalat’s Nigerian Idol”. His recent interview on The Honest Bunch podcast has re-ignited discussions about prize settlements after reality TV shows in Nigeria.

As the winner of a reality TV show, backed by a popular brand (Etisalat at the time), K-Peace deserves the money he won on the show. However, K-Peace’s claims are marked by glaring inconsistencies. Maybe it was intentionally shared to whip public sentiments, knowing that most people would run with that snippet, not the full story. Whatever the intention was, it turned out to be quite misleading. So, here are the facts, available to everyone who can do a simple Google search.

Etisalat’s Nigerian Idol was organised by Optima Media Group in 2015. The cash prize at the time N7.5 million along with a brand-new car, a recording deal worth and some high-end devices. K-Peace won the season, and rightly deserved the promised prize.

In interviews, K-Peace admitted to receiving N5 million and the car. The next season, 6 years later, a totally different brand got the rights to the show and revived it simply as Nigerian Idol. Recently, a snippet of K-Peace’s interview on a podcast alluded to the fact that the organisers had not paid him.

The public, including myself, will naturally side with K-Peace, as it is in us to side with a perceived underdog in any fight. An underdog deserving of public support should be one able to tell a coherent story.

If K-Peace still hasn’t received the full amount, he should directly call out those responsible. He won Etisalat Nigerian Idol in 2015, so if there’s an outstanding balance, he should demand payment from Etisalat—now rebranded as 9mobile or the franchise owners at the time Optima Media Group. Publicly addressing the right entity will generate pressure and increase his chances of getting what he is owed.

A background check will reveal that Nigerian Idol went on a six-year hiatus after K-Peace’s season and was revived in 2021. Since then, the show has produced four winners—Kingdom Kroseide, Progress Chukwuyem, Victory Gbakara, and Chima Udoye—all of whom have received their prizes. This further suggests that the issue lies with the former organizers.

To get justice, K-Peace must clarify his claims. Is he seeking the remaining N2.5 million, or is he alleging he was never paid anything? And most importantly, he must call out those holding on to the prize he won. If he remains vague, Nigerians may end up supporting the wrong fight.

This is 2025—there’s no need for fear or hesitation. If there’s money to be recovered, the right people must be held accountable. But without clarity, this could become just another social media distraction. K-Peace, Nigerians are willing to help, but only if the facts are clear.